Electrically-operated railway-track switch



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(No Model.)

P. H. HARRIMAN. I ELBCTRIGALLY OPERATED RAILWAYl TRACK SWITCH. No. 554,868.

M'Zwffaff (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. H. HARRIMAN. ELBCTRIOALLY OPBRATED RAILWAY TRACK SWITCH.

NQ. 5`54`,868.- Patented Peb.. 18', 1.896.

.2 f 7% f3 g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. HARRIMAN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRlCALiLY-OPERATED RAI LWAY-TRACK SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,868, dated February 18, 1896.

v Appncaion fue@ Dembr 11, 1895. serial 110.571.803. cromada.)

To all-whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, FRANK H. HARRIMAN, a citizen of the-United States of America, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electrically-Operated Railway-Track Switches, of which the following is a description reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation view of car, track, &c. Fig. 2 is a detail view, on 'an enlarged scale, a side view of the end of the trolley-pole and appurtenant parts as the trolley-wheel approaches the point or` place where the linewire contacts are made. Fig. 3 is a top View of the parts shown in Fig. 2 with the weathercover removed. Fig. 4 is a detail face view of the pinion and gear-sector intermediate between the crank-handle, operated by the motorman, and the base of the trolley-pole. It shows a shaft cut in cross-section. The plane of that section is denoted by the dotted line of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a top view of the principal operating parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a top view of the electric-motor device whose operation effects the shifting of the switch of the railway-track. This view shows i principally the electric switch on the top of such motor. Fig. 7 is aview in vertical crosssection ofthe tongue of the switch, of the railway-track, and of the boX which contains the electric motor already referred to, with what is practically a side elevational view of the motor itself inside such box.

` The object of the improvement is the production of a device, mechanism, or apparatus for use upon, or in connection with, a streetrailway of the trolley variety, by means of which the motorman upon the car can readily operate a track-switch he is approaching, utilizing, as a medium, electricity supplied by the line-wire of the trolley system.

In the accompanying drawings the mechanism is shown as in adjustment or position for shifting the track-switch, which the motorman is approaching, to the left.

The letter d denotes the car as a whole advancing in the direction indicated by the ar- 5o row thereupon.

The letter b denotes Ia crank-arm' in front of the motorman attached to shaft b journaled on the top of the car. The motorman shifts this crank-arm to right or left, rotarily, accordingly as he desires to operate a trackswitch which he is approaching to right or left. As the mechanism is shown in the drawings he shifts this crank-arm to his right in order to throw the track-switch to the left, but, of course, matters can be so adjusted that shifting this crank-arm to the right also shifts the track-switch to the right.

The shaft b is connected by a universal joint b2 to the shaft b3 in order that shafts b and b3 may have similar and synchronous rotary motion. The shaft b3 carries rigid thereupon the crank-arm b4, which is slotted from end to end, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5. Whatever rotary motion is given to crank-arm b4, by moving crankarm b, is communicated to gear-sector c through the medium of gear-sector shaft c', crank-arm c2 and crank-pin c3 entering the said slot or mortise in crank-arm b4. This engagement of crank-arm c2 with crank-arm b4, through the medium of crank-pin c3 entering the said slot or mortise, made length- Wise of the crank-arm b4, allows a similar engagement of parts on the other side of the pivot of the trolley-pole when the trolley-pole is shifted, as nowadays is necessary in practice, to the opposite position from that shown in Fig. 1.

The gear-sector c meshes into and operates the pinion c4, and this, through the medium of the flexible shaft d, communicates its rotary motion to the shaft d', which is j ournaled upon and supported by the trolley-pole d2. The shaft d carries at its upper end the rigid contact-linger d3. This contact-linger is shifted to right or left and makes contact to right or left (shortly to be described), as the track-switch is to be shifted to right or left.

The letter d4 denotes a standard of conducting material supported upon and projecting upward from the trolley line-wire c. It carries and supports the non-conductin g base-plate e.

The letter e2 denotes a left-hand electric switch and the letter c3 denotes a right-hand electric switch (speaking now with reference to the direction in which the car is advanc- IOO ing) borne upon said base-plate e. The latter is represented as out of contact and the former as in contact.

The letter e* denotes the intermediate lever by which the switch e2 is thus put into contact. It bears on its sides pivot-pins f hung in duplicate parti-circular slots f cut in duplicate plates f2 depending from base-plate c for that purpose. The upper end of lever eA1 is connected to switch e2 through the medium of spring f 3,' and it results from this arrangement of parts just described that when the finger (Z3 is thrown to the position shown in Fig. 2 and is advancing in the direction indicated by the appurtcnant arrow such finger strikes the lever e4 and puts switch e2 into contact with the line-wire 5 but if. the contact- .finger d." strikes the lever el when moving in the opposite direct-ion it trips harmlessly by it, producing no substantial effect. It is a matter of course that the other side of the line-wire is provided with a contact device the duplicate of that just described.

The letters g and g denote respectively the conducting wires, which respectively conduct the current during contact from the line-wire to the motor underneath, or appurtenant to the track soon to be described. They are insulated and united together into cable g2, which runs to a supporting-post g5, down the supporting-post into the ground and to the motor, as shown in Fig. l. rlhis motor is located preferably immediately under the track-switch tongue g3, the shifting of which to right or left correspondingly switches the ear.

The letter 7L denotes two field-magnets in the motor. Then the motor is operated they receive the current after and in series with the rotating armature 7L. When the current comes down from the right it runs through the armature in one direction and when it comes down from the left it runs through the armaturein the other direction. Each impulse, therefore, rotates the armature a halfturn always in the same direction. Then the armature thus takes a half-rotation, it, through the medium of the crank-pin 7b2 on the disk h3, (fast on the armature shaft, )shifts the lever 7a4 and this, through the medium of suitable connections, as shown, correspondingly shifts the track-switch tongue g3.

Speaking now with reference to the direction in which the car is advancing, z' is the right-haud electric switch which receives the current coming down at the right, and t" denotes the left-hand switch. In the drawings the switches are represented as with the righthand switch in contact and the motor can only now be operated by a right hand eurrent. YVhen the left-hand switch 7l' is in contact the motor can onlybe operated bya lefthand current; and this is a condition of aiairs which is practically necessary in the use of this entire mechanism.

I claim as my improvementl. Incombination, the track-switch tongue y mechanically connected by suitable intermediates to lever h4 adapted to bc reciprocated by the partial rotation of armature 7L', the iield'magnets h electrically connected respectively through electric switches fi 'i' and suitable conductors with overhead electric switches c2 c3, the lever e", and the shifting contact-fingers d carried on the trolley-pole and mechanically connected through suitable intermediates with the operating-lever l), all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

2. ln combination, the reversible trolleypole (Z2, the shafts d d' carried thereon, the pinion c", the gearsector c connected to crank-arm c2 and crank-pin c3, and the slotted crank-arm b* carried on shaft l1, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

In combination, the trolleypole (Z2, shaft d carried thereon and carrying shifting contact-finger d5, conducti11g-standard LZ borne on the line-wire, non-conductingbase e', electric switches c2 c3, levers e4 hung in parti-circular slots f', springs f ,and conductors g y leading to the motor which operates the switch-tongue, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

11. In combination, the rotating armature 7L', the icld-magnets 7L in series with the armature, the conductors g g', the electric switches t' 17', the crank-pin h2 adapted to rotate with the armature and the lever 7L, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

FRANK 1I. lIARRlh'lAlT.

\\'itnesses W. E. SrMoNns, ANDREW FEReUsoN.

IOO 

